Friday, June 27, 2008

Second Chances ~ Part 41

I meant to have this posted earlier, but...well, life is unpredictable. I've had company come and go all week and still more this weekend *sigh* But I'll post this part, another tomorrow, then the very ending on Sunday (Monday the latest if my granddaughters don't leave me with enough energy - lol)

Part 41

This can’t be happening. This can’t be happening. Zack chanted the words over and over. He even closed his eyes, counted to five, but he was still in the elevator, alarm shrilling, and Rob crouching next to him. Silently he screamed out to Ryan.

Zack hated himself for flinching when Rob reached out and touched his hair. Hated how his body trembled and fear clouded his vision and judgment. He’d sworn to never again be scared of Rob. To let this fright take over and rule his actions. Only he found it was easier said than done.

“You were stupid to think you could escape me.” Rob leaned in, his mouth just inches from Zack’s ear. “You were mine since the first night we met. I swore to always have you.”

Zack swallowed the lump of fear clogging his throat. “You don’t own me, Rob. You had me and abused me. Now it’s time to let go and pay for your actions.” Jesus, where had that come from? He was scared as shit, yet those words that had been on his tongue since Rob almost killed him finally came to life.

Rob’s fingers curled cruelly in Zack’s hair and gave it a yank so he whimpered with pain. He smiled wickedly and Zack saw an evil gleam in his ex-lover’s eyes.

“Grown a set of balls, huh? Guess you had to in order to be with my brother,” he sneered with disgust. “It’s alright. You’ll be eating those balls soon enough and back to being my pussy.” Rob licked the side of Zack’s face while nearly jerking the clump of hair from his head.

****As soon as the elevator doors shut, Ryan raced down the hall. “Shit,” he cursed when he pressed the up button and the door didn’t open. He took a step back. Rage, fear, and guilt swept through him. The light for the next floor lit.

“What’s above us? What units?” he demanded of a security guard that was nearby.

“Surgical ICA. Maturnity Ward. Cardiac Stepdown Unit.” The guard rambled off several more units. None sounded as if they were good hiding places for Rob.

The light lit the next floor. The roof?

“Can he get to the roof from the top floor?” He didn’t take his eye from the lighted number.

“Yeah. Using the stairs.”

The light vanished and he waited for the next to light before he made a run for the stairwell. And he waited. Distantly and muffled, he could hear the ringing of an alarm.

“What happened?” Now there were several security guards around him and another cop from the force. Charlie was nowhere to be seen.

“Looks like he stopped the car.” The security guard farthest from Ryan answered.

“Can we manually override it?” Damn. All sorts of scenarios flashed in his mind. Was Zack all right? What was Rob doing to him? His brother’s eyes were wide and wild looking. He was out of his sane mind, but then, it was easy to incite Rob.

The guard next to him shook his head. “Not easily. It will take time. These things are old. The upgrade was supposed to happen later this year.”

“Damn.” Ryan’s eyes closed, his mind going a hundred miles a minute. Think. He’d been a cop in a big city. What had he learned? “Surely there’s a hatch at the top, right?”

This time Ryan looked at the guy’s nametag. Dewler. He nodded.

“All right. I need some to open the doors with and a rope. We don’t have time.” He started for the stairs. He had to pass by Maria’s room. The door was closed. Heard nothing. Was she all right? He wanted so badly to stop and look in, but Zack’s life could possibly be at stake. So he kept walking.

****It took twenty minutes, but Ryan was repelling down the elevator shaft. Image after horrific image of what Rob was doing to Zack flashed in his mind. He couldn’t stop them. Though he and his brother haven’t been close since they were small, he knew exactly what Rob was capable. He’d been the target of his anger to many times. And each time he blamed it on something or someone else. All to protect Rob. And look where that got him…and Zack.

Careful not to alert Rob of his presence, Ryan stepped lightly onto the top of the elevator. The maintenance man had tried his best to fill him in on what he’d encounter. It was an old piece of machinery so he was careful of the ropes, wires, and cables. Last thing he wanted to do was plunge down seven stories on top of this deathtrap. He pulled the flashlight from his belt and turned it on, finding the hatch easily. Bending down, he placed his ear to it.

Nothing. The shaft rumbled too loudly of the machinery though the alarm had been shut off.

Ryan’s heart raced. His stomach clenched. Had he taken too long? What if Rob had already killed Zack and then himself? Ryan wouldn’t put it past his twin to gain whatever he desired. Fucking bastard.He took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He needed steady hands and his mind in the right place for this. With his hand on the handle of the cover, Ryan glanced up to see several darkened figures in the elevator doorway. Watching. Waiting. It’s now or never.